


Fuck it, let's go see the world

by Cats_Dont_Float



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fluff, Happy Jake English/Dirk Strider, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Travel, Vacation, World Travel, gonna stop now, got inspired to write this in class, i can't write dirk strider properly, i cant tag, i just want this ship to be happy okay??? let me have this, there's a plot if you squint your eyes enough, this is just ridiclous amounts of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 22:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21346030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_Dont_Float/pseuds/Cats_Dont_Float
Summary: Jake’s grandma has died, and Dirk’s living in the shadow of a famous older brother who hasn’t got the time for him. The two take their chance to meet up and spend some time together, and make an impulse decision to just not go home for a while. Whilst on their travels, Dirk comes to a realisation about their relationship.
Relationships: Jake English/Dirk Strider
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	Fuck it, let's go see the world

The whole thing started off as a solemn affair.

Jake had been staying in Texas with his boyfriend, Dirk, in Texas since his grandmother died a month back. He loved the island he lived on more than life itself, but living there alone only made his grandmother’s absence feel worse, and it hadn’t taken him long to decide he needed to get away for awhile. And what better opportunity to spend some quality time with his long-distance boyfriend? Despite the sadness of the situation, the two had been enjoying the time together, living in comfort together in Dirk’s oversized apartment (bought for him a few years ago courtesy of his famous older Bro, who was quick to want Dirk out of his own house).

When Jake went back to the island eventually, it was with Dirk by his side, and the two spent a few days exploring the place before even attempting to begin sorting through Jake’s grandma’s things. She’d left behind a lot of things, most of them seemingly useless currently, though Jake was sure they’d have some purpose in the future and refused to get rid of anything, and it took days for the two to sort through all of the clutter in the house. Eventually, though, it was done. And, with the house marginally tidier than it had been before, all that was left to do was to scatter his grandma’s ashes, which they did in her favourite part of the island, near where a patch of wildflowers were growing.

It was later that night, as the two were sitting on the beach, watching the waves crash onto white sand that was glowing slightly in the moonlight, Jake sniffling onto Dirk’s shoulder, that Dirk made the suggestion.

“Hey, Jake,” he said, nudging him gently with one elbow, “I know you said you don’t want to live alone anymore, and trust me, I am beyond excited to live with you full time, but… why don’t we just not go back to Texas for a while?”

“You mean, stay here?” Jake asked, raising his head from Dirk’s shoulder to look up at him, “I thought we’d already agreed to just use this place as a holiday home. It’s not exactly fun, living on an island cut off from the rest of society.”

“Actually, I was thinking more like… why don’t we just go see the world?” Dirk said, spreading his hands out in a sweeping gesture that seemed to be his attempt at signifying the entirety of the globe.

“What?” Jake sat up a little straighter, startled, and turned to stare at Dirk. “You’re crazy, Strider.”

“Am I?” Dirk asks, “You said it yourself, you’ve been cut off from the world for your whole life. We’re finally living together, why not start it off with a trip that we’ll remember forever? I’ve got enough money to keep us going, and Bro’ll just wire me more if I need it, in fact, he’ll give me anything to get me to leave him alone for a while longer. Just imagine it, the two of us seeing every country, getting to do the things we’ve never been able to do before.” He leaned in a little closer, mouth just brushing Jake’s ear, to whisper, “Together.”

Jake shuddered slightly and leaned away, folding his hands neatly into his lap. “I suppose it might be quite fun,” he said, pointedly staring out at the waves instead of at Dirk, “But, won’t you miss Texas?”

“Nah,” Dirk shrugged, “Ain’t got any ties holding me to the place. Got everything I need right here.” He reached out to pat one of Jake’s thighs, leaving the other man babbling nonsense and blushing furiously. “Anyway,” he continued, as if completely oblivious to Jake’s reaction, “I’m not saying we’ll never go back. Just saying we should live while we’re young. You know, while we’re young and have rich brothers who’ll pay for our bullshit. Why not just say fuck it, and go see the world?"

Jake let out a laugh at that, a single, loud syllable that filled the silent night air. “I do suppose you’re right,” he said thoughtfully, “And possibly even quite persuasive. Yes.”

“Yes?” Dirk pushed, not quite sure what Jake was getting at but hoping he was saying what Dirk thought he was.

“Yes!” Jake beamed, “By golly, yes! Let’s go see the world!”

The second the last word was out of Jake’s mouth, he turned and threw himself excitedly at Dirk, knocking him backwards into the sand. Dirk just grinned, laying back, head tilting backwards until he felt his hair pushing into the sand, and draped one arm over Jake’s back, pulling him down on top of him. Jake landed a little awkwardly, arms entwined around Dirk’s waist, but his head fell neatly into the spot where Dirk’s neck met his shoulders, and from there Dirk had the perfect angle to turn his head and nose into his boyfriend’s soft hair with a smile.

“So,” Dirk said after a while, when Jake had started to trail little kisses up his neck and towards his jaw, “Where do you wanna go first?” And he might have been imagining it, but he was sure he felt Jake’s mouth quirk upwards into a smile against his skin.

*********

A week later, armed with bags packed with the bare essentials for their trip, they boarded a plane to Tokyo. Jake got a little upset as they took off, staring downwards at the island as it got smaller and smaller below them, until Dirk reminded him that they weren’t leaving forever, and helpfully distracted him with a kiss.

“I must say, I’m quite excited,” Jake admitted, nervously pulling at the sleeve of his shirt about half way through the flight. Dirk reached out to take hold of his hand and move it down to rest on his knee instead.

“Me too,” Dirk said with a smile. His shades were off, pushed up into his hair a while ago, not hiding the way his smile always reached his eyes like they usually did, and Jake leaned in to the corner of his mouth gently at the sight of that smile.

“I think we’ve got quite the adventure ahead of us,” Jake said, sitting back away from Dirk and turning to glance out the window, feigning interest in the endless expanse of ocean below them to hide how flushed his face was.

“You know what? I think you’re right,” Dirk replied.

**********

Jake’s prediction was right. From the moment they stepped out of the airport in Tokyo, the excitement and enjoyment of their trip never seemed to end. Jake bought a camera from a high street store, and started using it to capture all the memories they made. They climbed mountains, swam in lakes, took safari rides and explored deserts, but the memories they both held onto the most were those small, soft, private moments between the two of them. Nothing too special, nothing too expensive or outrageous, just the quiet time when the two felt they were all alone together in the world.

There were late night walks along beaches in carribean islands, where Jake stared around in a constant state of awe and Dirk just watched with a smile, silently holding onto Jake’s warm, calloused hand. They went for afternoon tea in London, got caught out in the rain whilst visiting a small, British seaside town and had to run for cover, holding onto each other and screaming like schoolgirls, and kissed underneath the Eiffel tower in Paris. Everything they wanted to do, they did. It was as simple as that. If they were just walking down a street and decided they want to do something, then they decided to do that impulsively. They went on posh dates in ridiculously expensive restaurants where waiters stared at them judgmentally and they didn’t care. They played games of laser tag, swam in the sea (Jake screamed louder than should have been possible at how cold the water was), and even went rock climbing (Dirk was embarrassingly bad at it). In just less than a year, they did everything either of them had ever wanted to do, and went to all the places on both of their bucket lists. They had enough money to keep them going, and so when they could they stayed in the best hotels in the area, enjoying the way that the posh patrons of the hotels stared confusedly at them, wondering what two teeangers were doing there. And even when they weren’t in the nicest of hotels, it didn’t matter. If they were together, they were happy, and that was that.It was like a dream, and even better that they were experiencing it with each other after so long of being long-distance.

It wasn’t the places, though, that made the memories so perfect, but each other. Many nights (more than he could even begin to count), Dirk woke, curled up underneath hotel bed sheets, missing the warmth of Jake pressed up against his back, only to find him stood by the window, staring out at the landscape of whatever place they were currently in, illuminated by the glow of moonlight or streetlight that came in from outside. And each time Dirk approached silently, unnoticed by Jake and would wrap his arms around him from behind, resting his head on one broad, dark shoulder and smiling up at his boyfriend, who would look over at him each time with a matching expression of tired surprise.

“Come back to bed,” Dirk would whisper, and Jake would oblige, pulled by his hand down into the bundle of sheets, head falling back against soft pillows, and falling asleep almost instantly once Dirk began to slowly ease his fingers through his hair and hum quietly.

And laying there, with his boyfriend already fast asleep in his arms, Dirk often got the feeling that this was what was important. Not money, or possessions, or even the places they visited. No. What was important was Jake, and being with him, and sharing those small, private memories that nobody could take away from them. And it was there, laying with Jake’s face pressed into his chest, that he knew he didn’t want anything to ever get between the two of them. He wanted this boy to be with him forever.

*******

Their last destination was Iceland, somewhere where Dirk had wanted to go forever, and it was there that he did it. The two of them were just out on a walk, admiring the scenery, silent but still appreciating each other’s company. Nothing special, nothing extravagant. Perfect.

It was when Jake took a few steps ahead, up to the top of a hill to look at something in the distance, that Dirk saw his opportunity, and went for it. He just dropped down onto one knee, noting the way the moisture from the grass seeped into his jeans instantly but not worrying about it, pushed his shades up into his hair, grabbed the tiny box from his pocket, and just waited.

It took a while. Jake was too distracted by whatever he was looking at, and Dirk smiled as he watched him for a second, noting the way he was moving his hands around excitedly. Then it happened.

“Hey, Dirk, did you-” Whatever Jake was about to ask was cut off as he spun around on his heel and spotted Dirk kneeling there. He stared for a second, mouth open, and then raised one shaking hand to cover his mouth. “What are… what are you doing?”

Dirk rolled his eyes fondly. “What does it look like?” He said with a nervous chuckle, raising one hand to wave Jake towards him. When his boyfriend took a few stumbling steps towards him, Dirk opened up the ring box, and held it outwards slightly.

“Dirk,” Jake said quietly. Before he could say anything else, Dirk shushed him gently.

“Jake English,” Dirk said softly, feeling a lump rising in his throat and his eyes starting to water, but trying to ignore it. “I love you so much, more than I’ve ever loved anyone before. And this trip has been the best thing I’ve ever done. Spending so much time just with you has made me realise how much I love you, and never want to be apart from you. So, Jake English, will you please marry me?”

Jake was crying uncontrollably at that point, having fallen down onto his knees opposite Dirk, both hands over his mouth and shoulders shaking. He looked up, blinking through tears, and then nodded quickly, tears flying as he did. “Yes!” He declared loudly, “Yes. Of course I will. Yes.”

Dirk barely had time to slide the ring onto Jake’s finger with shaking hands before his boyfriend was throwing himself forwards at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. The ring box fell to the ground between them, but neither of them cared. Dirk tilted his head upwards to look at Jake, before putting one hand on the back of Jake’s head and pulling him towards him to press their lips together a little messily. There were tears sliding down both of their cheeks, mingling as Dirk leaned in even closer to deepen the kiss, and he could feel the way Jake was still suppressing a grin against his lips.

When Dirk eventually pulled backwards, he used one thumb to quickly wipe a few tears from Jake’s face, pressing kisses to each spot on his face afterwards, and then leaned his forehead gently against Dirk’s.

“I love you,” he whispered quietly to Jake.

“I love you too,” Jake replied quietly, reaching up to rest his hands on Dirk’s wrists, and pressed their faces even closer together. Dirk grinned, shaking a little with the leftover adrenaline from the proposal, and let himself relax into his boyfriend’s - no - _fiance’s_ arms.

**********

They made one last stop at the end of their trip around the world; Jake’s island. They had planned to go back to Texas, Dirk figuring he should probably at least tell his brother that he was getting married, and wanting to visit his friends too, but if felt right to go back to the island where this had all started first.

When they finally arrived back there, it was evening time, and the sun was setting, casting beautiful colours across the sky. Jake and Dirk walked down to the beach together, hands clasped tightly behind them, Dirk running his thumb across Jake’s knuckles, feeling of the cold metal of the engagement ring there. Jake silently raised their joined hands to press a kiss to Dirk’s knuckles gently, then looked up to smile at him shyly. Dirk grinned back, and then the two were approaching the small stone they’d laid on the beach with Jake’s grandma’s name engraved on it. Jake bit down sadly on his lip gently, and then kneeled down to press his hands against the stone.

“Hey grandma,” he said softly, “This is Dirk, you’ve met him. He’s uh… my fiance.” He looked over as Dirk kneeled by his side, and reached over to take hold of one of his hands. “I think you’d be happy for us. No. I know you would be.” He stared a second more, then smiled softly and said, “I miss you grandma. Love you.” He got up to his feet, stretching out his legs and taking hold of Dirk’s hand again.

The two of them wandered along the beach together for a while longer, until they eventually returned to Jake’s house, and tiredly fell into bed. The two curled up together, Dirk pressing gentle kisses all over Jake’s face and whispering “I love you'' to him constantly. Jake chuckled into Dirk’s hair softly, snaking an arm around his shoulders.

“I love you too,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to Dirk’s cheek, “And I can’t wait to be your husband.” He let out a yawn, and cuddled a little closer to Dirk with a smile. “See you in the morning,” he murmured tiredly.

“Mmh,” Dirk mumbled, “Sleep well.”

As the two fell silent and slowly drifted off to sleep, Dirk tightened his arms around Jake very gently with a small smile. Everything felt perfect, like he’d woken up in a scene from one of his best dreams. He’d found true love, he knew that much, and now he got to spend the rest of his life with the person that made him happier than anyone else in the world. And that felt better than anything he’d ever experienced before in his whole life.

**Author's Note:**

> (Based loosely on a poem I was studying in English lit class)  
I think I lost my mind whilst writing those tags. Anyway I have so much homestuck stuff sitting around in my drafts right now, so here, enjoy this. Yeah, I've posted a loootttt of fics recently, I know, I write real fast.
> 
> Haven't beta read this because... I'm lazy. I'll sort typos out later if there are any, but I think I've checked it over enough.


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